Several pieces of artwork painted by University of the West Indies Emeritus
Professor, Clinton Hutton were presented as gifts to the government and people of
Antigua and Barbuda and the UWI Five Islands Campus as gifts from the professor
himself.
On Friday, Professor Hutton who was here to deliver the inaugural lecture in the
UWI FIC’s Distinguished Lecture Series made presentations to the Governor
General, Sir Rodney Williams, Acting Prime Minister Steadroy Benjamin, and to
FIC Campus Principal, Professor Densil Williams, and staff at the university.
Speaking at a brief hand-over ceremony at the campus on Friday, Professor Hutton
said three reasons motivated him to make the presentation of the works of art.
“One is the fact that I am a passionate citizen of the Caribbean; I consider myself a
Grenadian, Antiguan, Cuban, etc. I truly see myself as a Caribbean person. The
second factor is the opening batting of the prime minister that I heard, and I said,
“Wow!” this man is a bit different. Let me follow his overture to the Rastafari
Movement, his ideas about Reparation, about Caribbean development, I said
‘Wow!’ So that’s an influence. The third is Professor Williams and I raised this
with him because I said to him that I wanted to do it under his leadership,” he
explained.
Three of the paintings were presented to UWI FIC, and one each to the Governor
General and the government.
Of the three donated to the UWI FIC, one depicts Marcus Garvey, the pan-
Africanist whose philosophy about Africa, self-empowerment and Caribbean
civilization resonate as much today as they did in the first half of the 20 th century.
Another is of a ceremony practiced by the executed Jamaican rebellion leader, Paul
Bogle and the third celebrates leadership of women in the fight for freedom against
slavery in multiple Caribbean countries as recorded by the history.
Education Minister, Daryl Matthew, was on hand participating in the ceremony
held at the university. He thanked Professor Hutton for his kind gesture of donating
valuable works of art to the university as well as to the government and people of
Antigua and Barbuda.